TUI: Greece is ‘in’ this Year, Bookings for Summer Holidays on the Rise
Greece this year is once again one of the favorite destinations for German travelers, according to representatives of leading global tourism group TUI.
The German travel giant recently reported that bookings to Greece mainly concern Crete, Corfu, Kos and Rhodes. However, destinations such as Zakynthos, Karpathos, Santorini and Halkidiki as well as the western Peloponnese are also in demand and attracting great interest.
“It is worth to book soon,” said Benjamin Jacobi, managing director of sales and marketing at TUI Deutschland, as reported by German media.
“Greece is ‘in’. Like Mallorca, there was a shortage of beds in Greek holiday destinations last summer,” Jacobi said, adding that TUI will expand its portfolio this year.
TUI this year will open, among others, the four-star hotel TUI Suneo Althea Village near Chania and the TUI Suneo Niriides Beach Hotel in Psalidi, Kos.
“Our TUI Suneo brand is very popular with price-conscious visitors,” said Jacobi. “Great value holidays are even more important to many this year.”
It should be noted that the tourist demand for Greece was seen early on. Speaking at ITB Berlin in March, TUI Deutschland CEO Stefan Baumert said the company was expecting a very good summer season. Referring to Greece, Baumert said 50 percent of airline seats and beds for some Greek islands had already been booked.
Strong presence in Greece
TUI counts more than 4,500 hotels in 24 Greek destinations. With 144 flights per week, Greece is also one of the top travel destinations for TUIfly. Most flights take place to Heraklion (53), Rhodes (35) and Kos (35).
Moreover, TUI Cruises offers various cruises that include Greek ports in its itineraries. Indicatively, the Mein Schiff 5 crusie ship will set sail on June 11 for the “7 Nights – Eastern Mediterranean Sea with Corfu” voyage. From Crete, it then goes to Piraeus, Corfu, Sicily and Malta.